<< You don't even see the Rhone Glacier from the preserved section of the original Furka railway route as it has receded too far (ruined by all us tourists breathing out hot air!). >>

<< Sadly its not really a joke as the Rhone Glacier (and the Swiss mountains as we know them) is in peril: >>

I just sent a message to Alpenrose about the end of the Rhonegletscher at Gletsch, and here I will attach an aerial image (courtesy of Swisstopo) of the entire area that shows how endangered the Rhonegletscher (red oval) really is, much more so than the ones to the south-west. Global warming nay-sayers like 45 should come to see the Rhonegletscher and if this isn't enough they can take a look at Tanzania's Kilimanjaro. Actually, I have seen photos of disappearing glaciers in his own USA so he doesn't really have to come to Switzerland. What scares me even more is the situation on the Indian subcontinent, where so many people depend on the waters flowing from the Himalaya.

I looked at your Mother Nature Network link and must say that I had heard something about this a number of years ago. Very interesting. Imagine covering ice with white blankets to reduce melting !

There is all kinds of interesting information at the link that you provided. I have been looking through it for the last hour, not just at global warming but at Swiss wine production, shopping for groceries, restaurant eating, and national dishes. I was expecting to find Birchermüesli !

Did you already have it there ? I had been looking at the column on the right entitled "Typical Swiss dishes" and hadn't noticed the müesli in the left column. In any case, I read the list of common ingredients and was surprised that you mention wheat but not oats ! Every Birchermüesli I have ever made or eaten elsewhere was made with oats, and of course many of the other goodies you have mentioned. I am big on including fresh berries and, I must admit, a bit of real whipped cream on top.

No it was added today. The wheat/oats mix-up is probably my limited English vocabulary regarding ingredients. But of course you're right. More specifically one can describe it as oatmeal (rolled oats), right? I'll change that. The whipped cream is new to me but I bet it's good :-)

Actually, I often use "Hej !" when sending messages. No need for you to apologize for your English vocabulary. Je Engels is geweldig. When I am in the Netherlands I never cease to be impressed by how many people speak three or more languages very fluently. Quite unlike some people in some countries who expect that everybody should speak their language, no matter where they go in the world.

Thanks for adding Birchermüesli to the "food and drink section". The whipped cream I mention is usually added when it is being served as a dessert ! 😋

You might consider adding Lidl to your list of lower-cost stores for groceries. The Germans are coming ! I was in the Aldi in Morat (Murten) last September and I was very impressed. It is very new, super clean, and it even had an in-store bakery. Here are a few photos from that Aldi. Notice the Swiss flags in the last image that designate products that are produced in Switzerland. Hopefully, this encourages people (both locals and tourists) to "Buy Swiss".

Another place tourist might find good for a quick and not too expensive meal is Manor Food.

I did get around to watching the second segment (Teil 2) and they did show some black and white footage of Gletsch in the good old days and also the restored old line that runs during the Summer months. I'll get around to Teil 3 sometime soon, I hope. Thanks again for bringing it to our attention.

I find some problem in searching for trains from Lugano to Venice. If you don mind can you please provide the link as Im still working on the route as you suggest, onlything is the full day travel or is there any other option to cut short the travel duration with minimum scenic route ?

I use the Swiss railways timetable, I linked it on my first reply to you . Here is the link again. Enter Lugano to Venice (it will give you Venezia S. Lucia by default which is what you want).

You'll find many train options but all take around 5 hours. There is one direct train to Venice leaving at 11:20 from Lugano and takes 4 hours and 20 minutes though. There is another train with 2 connections (Milan and Venice Mestre) that is 4 hours and 5 minutes.

The 'quick way' is to get the one train a day that runs through from Zurich to Venezia (Train EC15), arriving at 15.40. It stops at Zug (09.31) and Arth Goldau (09.50), both quick connecting journeys from Luzern.

The other alternative is a Luzern - Milano through train then change for a Milano - Venezia train.

Both routes are still scenic. Even though the trains go through the new Gotthard base tunnel, Luzern / Zug - Arth Goldau - Altdorf and the Biasca - Bellinzona - Chiasso sections are still scenic with lake and mountain views.